Federal Government has promised to train 100,000 artisans through Skill Up Artisans (SUPA) programme to meet up with international standards.

Director-General of Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Oluwatoyin Ogun, said in Akure, while opening the Association of Nigeria Artisans and Technicians (ASNAT) Southwest/Ondo State Secretariat.

He said the programme will bridge the skilled manpower gap in industries by upskilling existing and aspiring artisans.

According to him, this year, we are about to start and we are training about 100,000 artisans. The training this year is to strengthen the skilling up of our artisans to international standards. Our President wants to make sure that artisans should be able to meet up with their colleagues all over the world.

“He (Tinubu) has promised to take care of you artisans, and he is doing that right now. With this programme, our President has said every artisan is his candidate, that all of them would be touched and this would be the first time in the history of Nigeria that a President will remember the artisans.

“I want you all (artisans) to support the programme and stand behind the President and ITF that is pushing the programme…’’

“The President wants to remove quackery amongst the artisans, all the artisans will have their own practicing license, there would be dignity in labour, it’s now left for our artisans to support the programme, SUPA.”

National Coordinator, Association of Nigeria Artisans and Technicians (ASNAT) Adesina Akinyemi, said the benefits of the Skill Up Artisans (SUPA) programme would go a long way for artisans to meet up with their other colleagues all over the world.

Sobande Oyeleye, the Assistant Coordinator of the association in Ondo State, said the essence of the programme was to let the whole world know that the association has been recognized by the Federal Government in order to meet up with international standards and called on his co-artisans to key into the skill up programme. (The Nation)